University of Leicester to spell out green message with people power

Hundreds of staff and students from the University of Leicester are to converge on Victoria Park, Leicester, adjacent to the campus to spell out a green message.

The event at 1pm on Friday October 19 is the culmination of Big Green Week- the biggest environmental festival in the University’s history.

They will form the words U of L Goes Green on a site next to the Attenborough Tower which already carries a giant banner declaring the University’s commitment to recycling.

Environmental Manager Dr Emma Fieldhouse said: “On Friday we celebrate the end of the week with an Eco-Fair in the marquee on Victoria Park (there will be recycled goods for sale and a fairtrade café run by our own caterers) and a solar-powered cinema!

“We are also holding the biggest photo opportunity the University has ever seen. We want to send out a message of our environmental commitment to the world.

“Big Green Week has reinforced the message that there are like-minded people who care about the environment, and that the University is now committed financially, ethically and with people power to making positive environmental changes.

"The University produces approximately 1200 tonnes of waste every year and its aim is to cut this first by half though a range of recycling initiatives around the campus.”

The University of Leicester has pledged its commitment to the environment in the following ways:

- reduce its carbon impact through 27 projects (delivered over the next 5 years) designed to make the University more energy efficient

- developing a Green Travel Plan and employing a Travel Coordinator to support sustainable ways of travelling to and from the University

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